Ashes to Ashes to Fruit
by shinjuTHEpearl
Summary: What if Ashfur gets a second chance to live a better life? I mean Cinderpelt did why not Ashfur right? A rouge named Apricot is having strange dreames inviting her into winclan. can she help change ashfur change for the better?
1. Alliances

**I realize many people don't like Ashfur but he was one of my favorite characters and I think way too many people give him a bunch of crap. He wasn't as bad as some of you make him out to be, he didn't even kill anyone. **

**Sorry for the crazy rant, anyway on with the story.**

Alliances:

This happens between sunrise and the fourth apprentice so we'll use the fourth apprentice one. After Barkface died.

WINDCLAN:

Leader: Onestar

Deputy: Ashfoot

Medicine Cats: Kestrelflight

Warriors:

Crowfeather

Owlwhisker

Whitetail

Gorsetail

Weaselfur

Harespring

Leaftail

Antpelt

Emberfoot

Heathertail

Breezepelt

Mangospots (my oc)

Sagewhisker

Swallowtail

Sunstrike

Apprentices:

Whiskerpaw

Furzepaw

Boulderpaw

Queens:

Nightcloud kits- ashkit featherkit

Elders:

Webfoot

Tornear


	2. Prologue

Prologue:

Ashfur looked at the stars sitting around him. They swirled and danced until cats formed, the stars twinkling in their fur. He could feel his panic rising making his blood pound in his ears. A large ginger tom stood directly in front of him and a cat he knew from his earliest memories stood beside the grand tom- his mother. Bluestar sat beside Brindleface staring sadly at the bloodstained gray tom.

"Ashfur, you have never met me before but I am Thunderstar, the first leader of Thunderclan. You stand here before Starclan because you have done enough evil in your lifetime that we must debate your allowance into Starclan's ranks." The ginger tom boomed. Ashfur's eyes widened in shock and fear.

"Ashfur, you must stay here while we debate over this matter. Behave and don't leave." Bluestar's voice held a commanding note that told him not to argue. He only nodded as the cats turned and started padding away.

oooooo

Hours later a paw jabbed him in the side, jolting him from a dreamless sleep he hadn't known he'd slipped into. Yellowfang stood over him, some herbs hanging from her jaws.

"Here, you're going to need these. Starclan haven't decided yet, so you not yet part of them. So you still get to feel pain." She explained as she spat out the leaves. Ashfur struggled to sit up, his wounds felt fresh and they hurt worse than he remembered. Quickly he gulped down the bittersweet plants, wanting his pain to be gone. He dipped his head in thanks but winced, even that simple gesture hurt.

"Thank you Yellowfang…" He said looking very somber and tired instead of the red-rimmed crazy eyed look he'd sported the last few years. He sighed, looking much more like the cat he use to be. "What do you think should happen to me?" He asked, looking up at the older cat. She sucked in a breath and slowly exhaled,

"I'm not going to lie and I think you belong in Starclan. Many cats have done worse than you and live up here. Including me." She said settling down in the starry abyss next to Ashfur. He looked almost glad he asked the old she-cat and smiled. That earned him a cuff to the head, "Don't get cocky. Me saying that won't get you out of hot water yet. There are also many who think you should go to the dark forest." She said as Ashfur hissed in pain. Yellowfang stretched and yawned as Bluestar, Brindleface, and Thunderstar walked towards the two.

"Ashfur, we have come to a decision about your living arrangements. We have taken into the account the suggestions of many. But one stood out and we've agreed." Thunderstar boomed sitting down; his voice rang out loudly throughout the empty sky. Bluestar eyed the older medicine cat suspiously but as she began to speak she swept her gaze back to the ash gray tom.

"You will be given a second chance. A cat- Nightcloud is about to have a new litter. We will put you there. You won't remember your life as Ashfur, you will have to be a kit again. Relearn how to fight and hunt. But you will be given a chance to live a better life. Are you ok with that?" His former leader had asked it as a question but the hard look in her eyes told him not to disagree or argue. He nodded shakily, the medical herbs starting to lose their initial effect. Yellowfang stepped up beside the gray tom and brushed her tail along his fur, literally brushing away his cuts, bruises, and wounds along his body. Ashfur looked to the medicine cat and she gently touched her nose to his forehead and his world slowly was being swamped with black. Brindleface smiled at her son,

"Ashfur my son, be well, be strong, have faith, and may Starclan light your path." She meowed sloftly and as his world slowly faded to black he could hear an echo of her whisper, "And always remember who you are."

oooooo

Nightcloud hissed in pain as another spasm ran through her. She wished dearly that her kits would come soon. She had already sent Crowfeather away and told Breezepelt and Mangospots not to worry about her.

"Ok; first kit out, a gray tom. Sounds nice and healthy. Come on one more push." Kestrelflight encouraged. Soon the spasms stopped completely. "Good; second kit's out, a black she-cat. She looks weak but I'll get Barkface to take a look at her after his nap." He said looking gently at the two kits. "What're their names?"

"The girl is Featherkit and the boy…" She stopped to think when a name seemed to pop into her mind. "Ashkit." She said smiling at the kits. Feeling pleased she could give Crowfeather another reason not to leave and another reason for him not to be seen as a traitor.

_to be continued_


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Apricot opened her eyes only to see swarms of fish swim by. Panicking she flailed herself upwards until she broke the surface. She gasped for air, her ginger plastered to her small body. Somehow managing to get to a sandbank she hulled herself out onto the land. Shivering she looked up to see loads of ash falling to the ground. Some stray flecks falling onto her fur. Confused she watched the ash slowly drop, the sky dark gray and sad. She didn't know where she was or why it was snowing ash. The long weeds surrounding the area rustled behind her. Apricot whirled around, soaking fur bristling nervously. A large white tom stood there staring curiously at her. Apricot's eyes went wide at the big cat; she bared her teeth in warning. The white cat looked amused by her actions.

"My name is Whitestorm." He explained, swishing his tail almost happily. Apricot stood up straight,

"You're a clan cat." She stated, smoothing her fur but eyeballing the cat suspiciously, keeping her claws out.

"Yes, I am. Your very informed young rogue. I'm from Thunderclan." He said watching the tabby she-cat's reaction. She kept quiet watching him as he began padding up to her.

"No closer if you want to keep your whiskers on." She threatened, but didn't look or really sound defensive. "I don't like Thunderclan cats. If I had a choice a clan to be loyal to, it would always be Windclan. Now what do you want?" She said, trying to sound brave but shivering from the water still dripping from her fur.

"I know how much you want to be a clan cat. I know that you want to live the type of life that only a clan can provide for you." The tom said. "And I know exactly how to allow you the chance to live within the clan that you so badly want. All you have to do is tell Kestrelflight that Starclan has sent their approval." He explained and looked over his shoulder. Two other cats seemed to materialize out of the ash and fog. One was small and brown, the other was tall and black and white with a long tail.

"Tallstar, Barkface, this the young cat I told you about."He dipped his head in obvious respect to the two older cats. They both looked to the young orange-ish cat and Barkface smiled warmly to the cat. Tallstar on the other hand stared into her light blue eyes.

"There is deep energies within her, there are many words swirling around her. You must remember young cat, ashes cover everything even the purest of spaces. If you are to change its course you will have to look deep and except many difficult truths." His voice was altered and rang out deep and his eyes appeared glazed over. Apricot shivered but not from the water or the cold.

"What exactly is he talking about?" She asked, slightly nervous at the other cat's ravings. The remaining cats looked from one another back to Apricot.

"That is not for you to know. I'm sorry young one but it's time for you to go." Whitestorm said, offering her a small smile. Before she could object the flat moorland disappeared from under her paws and she fell back under the gallons and gallons of water of the lake. She tried to flail and swim back to the surface but she only went deeper and deeper. Fish swam by like nothing was wrong. She tried to scream but water flew into her mouth gagging Apricot. She flailed some more when a sharp pain laced through her side and she could hear someone calling her name. Her eyes were slammed shut, but when she opened them she was on the floor of the barn she called home. She had fallen off the hayloft ladder to the ground. Her breath was coming in gasps, she had been dreaming. Pineapple stood over her staring at her like her head was missing.

"What were you doing? You were flailing around like a badger had your tail." He said and without waiting for a reply padded away muttering things like 'crazy' and 'mousebrained' on the way. She shook her head to shake away the water of the dream. But excitement now wormed its way into her fur, thinking about Starclan cats visiting her. So she padded through the barn looking for Pudding, the kind of leader of the small group of barn cats.

oooooo

When she found him he was getting ready to go hunting with Plum; a smaller soft gray she-cat, and the cat he was training. Apricot requested to go with him to be able to talk to him about Starclan and Windclan.

While out hunting she had explained both her dream and her desire to become a clan cat like a cat that had previously lived in the barn- Mango, now Mangospots. Pudding had listened and understood where the young cat was coming from.

"From the beginning you seemed different. Always interested in stories from the clans and wanting to do things like make borders and hold veils and such." He had purred happily. "Your allowed to go if you want, no one's going to stop you from going, and you have my blessing." He had explained, laying his tail over her shoulder in a fatherly and comforting gesture. Apricot had smiled and dipped her head. She had asked him to tell everyone goodbye for her and she left the two cats behind in a happy trot.

oooooo

She stopped when she was about a tails length away from the Windclan border, she could smell the border marks, strong but stale, they hadn't yet come this way. Apricot was trying to decide whether or not to wait by the border for a patrol or not. But after waiting for what felt like forever she went to hunt on her side of the border for a quick catch to bring as a peace offering. She found a rabbit almost as soon as she started, it saw her but Apricot pelted after it. As soon as she caught it she carefully picked her way across the border and, with all her senses alert, walked toward the strongest windclan scent.

_to be continued_

_Sorry that its been so long, I haven't had time, you know school and all. But its up finally. Hope you guys really like it, remember read and review please….. ^_^_


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